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Anthocyanins, a categories of metabolites derived from flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, are responsible for the red color of peach. Anthocyanin metabolism is modulated by a complicated regulatory network. In this study, our results demonstrated that PpNAC25 was a component of anthocyanin regulatory network in peach. PpNAC25 showed a closed relationship with the well-known ripening-related gene NOR (no-ripening) and was highly expressed in peach fruit. Overexpression of PpNAC25 in poplar resulted in a redder shoot tips compared with EV control. PpNAC25 overexpression upregulated the anthocyanin biosynthetic and transportation genes in transcript levels and then increased anthocyanin contents. In Y1H and Luc/Ren assay, PpNAC25 bound to the promoter of the anthocyanin-activator PpMYB10.1 and PpMYB10.2 and activated its transcript. Moreover, PpNAC25 formed a heterodimer with PpNAC1, an anthocyanin-regulator. Our researches provide evidence that PpNAC25 may be a positive regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis in peach fruit.

Abstract Aim To evaluate the prevalence and influencing factors of anxiety and depression symptoms in surgical nurses during the COVID‐19 epidemic in Anhui, China. Methods A cross‐sectional, multic'entre quantitative study was conducted among surgical nurses in Anhui province. SAS, SDS and SSRS scales were used for the investigation. Data were collected between 3 March 2020 to 19 March 2020. Results A total of 3,492 surgical nurses completed the survey. The average level of anxiety and depression of surgical nurses were higher than that of the Chinese norm. Levels of social support for surgical nurses were significantly negatively associated with the degree of anxiety and depression. Fertility status, participation in care for COVID‐19 patients, likelihood of being infected with COVID‐19 and social support were significantly influencing surgical nurses’ anxiety degree. Similarly, these characteristics were significantly associated with the odds of depression symptoms in surgical nurses. Conclusion These findings suggest that targeted psychological interventions to promote mental health of surgical nurses need to be immediately implemented.

Abstract Background This study comprehensively analyzed the basic conditions and influencing factors of the residents' environmental health literacy (EHL) level in Shaanxi Province, China in 2020, and provided a scientific basis for exploring new ideas and new methods to improve the EHL level of the whole people. Methods In the cross-sectional study with a multi-stage random sampling method, 1320 participants were recruited in 6 neighborhood committees (administrative villages) from the Shaanxi province of China between 15–69 years old. The Core Questions for Assessment of EHL of Chinese Citizens (Trial Implementation) was adopted to measure the EHL of the respondents. Results The survey showed the level of EHL of residents is 17.6% in Shaanxi in 2020. Among them, the basic concepts, basic knowledge, and basic skills classification literacy levels are 34.7%, 6.89%, and 37.95% respectively. The EHL ratio of rural residents is significantly lower than that of urban residents (12.38 vs. 29.02%). A noticeable difference was shown in various aspects and environmental health issues of EHL between urban and rural populations. Conclusions Many factors are affecting the level of EHL. Education and science popularization of basic environmental and health knowledge in key areas and populations should be strengthened, and behavioral interventions should be carried out according to the characteristics of the population.

Abstract The SARS‐CoV‐2 Delta (B.1.617.2) variant is capable of infecting vaccinated persons. An open question remains as to whether deficiencies in specific vaccine‐elicited immune responses result in susceptibility to vaccine breakthrough infection. We investigated 55 vaccine breakthrough infection cases (mostly Delta) in Singapore, comparing them against 86 vaccinated close contacts who did not contract infection. Vaccine breakthrough cases showed lower memory B cell frequencies against SARS‐CoV‐2 receptor‐binding domain (RBD). Compared to plasma antibodies, antibodies secreted by memory B cells retained a higher fraction of neutralizing properties against the Delta variant. Inflammatory cytokines including IL‐1β and TNF were lower in vaccine breakthrough infections than primary infection of similar disease severity, underscoring the usefulness of vaccination in preventing inflammation. This report highlights the importance of memory B cells against vaccine breakthrough and suggests that lower memory B cell levels may be a correlate of risk for Delta vaccine breakthrough infection.

Ambient air samples of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were collected in a main urban area of Xi'an, Guanzhong Plain, whose contents including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and eight carbon components were measured by thermo-optical analysis. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. As a result, OC and EC accounted for 74.5% of PM2.5 in winter. During winter, light-molecular-weight PAHs (with 2 and 3 benzene rings) concentration predominated in the atmosphere. Molecular diagnostic ratios were calculated to distinguish between different sources of carbon components and PAHs, which revealed natural dust, fossil fuels combustion, and traffic emissions (diesel and gasoline emissions) were the major source contributors. Health risk assessment of PAHs indicated the non-carcinogenic risk values were far lower than 1 for all populations. Some carcinogenic risk values induced by PM2.5-bound PAHs were higher than 10−6, which means that there was a certain potential carcinogenic risk in carcinogenic PAHs. High exposure pollutants (acenaphthylene, benzo(b) fluoranthene, naphthalene and chrysene) were observed with potential in vitro oxidative and inflammatory responses. The results showed that long-term exposure to the environment with PAHs pollutants could cause sustained immune and respiratory system damage to the human body. Air quality management should be carried out to improve ambient air quality and reduce health hazards.

Purpose: To analyze the effect of the physiological deformation of the vessel wall on the hemodynamics in the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), this paper compared the hemodynamics in AAA based on the moving boundary (MB) simulation and the rigid wall (RW) simulation.Method: Patient-specific models were reconstructed to generate mesh based on four-dimensional computed tomography angiography (4D CT) data. The dynamic mesh technique was used to achieve deformation of the vessel wall, surface mesh and volume mesh of the fluid domain were successively remeshed at each time step. Besides, another rigid wall simulation was performed. Hemodynamics obtained from these two simulations were compared.Results: Flow field and wall shear stress (WSS) distribution are similar. When using the moving boundary method (MBM), mean time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) is lower, mean oscillatory shear index (OSI) and mean relative residence time (RRT) are higher. When using the 10th and 20th percentile values for TAWSS and 80th and 90th percentile values for RRT, the ratios of areas with low TAWSS, high OSI and high RRT to the entire vessel wall are higher than those assuming the vessel as rigid. In addition, one overlapping region of low TAWSS, high OSI and high RRT by using the MBM is consistent with the location of thrombus obtained from the follow-up imaging data.Conclusion: The hemodynamics results by using the MBM reflect a higher blood retention effect. This paper presents a potential tool to assess the risk of intraluminal thrombus (ILT) formation based on the MBM.

Respiratory infections are a major public health concern caused by pathogens that colonize and invade the respiratory mucosal surface. Nasal vaccines have the advantage of providing protection at the primary site of pathogen infection, as they induce higher levels of mucosal secretory IgA antibodies and antigen-specific T and B cell responses. Adjuvants are crucial components of vaccine formulation that enhance the immunogenicity of the antigen to confer long-term and effective protection. Saponins, natural glycosides derived from plants, shown potential as vaccine adjuvants, as they can activate the mammalian immune system. Several licensed human vaccines containing saponins-based adjuvants administrated through intramuscular injection have demonstrated good efficacy and safety. Increasing evidence suggests that saponins can also be used as adjuvants for nasal vaccines, owing to their safety profile and potential to augment immune response. In this review, we will discuss the structure-activity-relationship of saponins, their important role in nasal vaccines, and future prospects for improving their efficacy and application in nasal vaccine for respiratory infection.

The diversity and community assembly mechanisms of eukaryotic plankton in coastal waters is so far not clear. In this study, we selected the coastal waters of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which is a highly developed region in China, as the research area. By use of high-throughput sequencing technologies, the diversity and community assembly mechanisms of eukaryotic marine plankton were studied in which a total of 7,295 OTUs were obtained, and 2,307 species were annotated by doing environmental DNA survey of 17 sites consist of surface and bottom layer. Ultimately, the analysis reveals that the species abundance of bottom layer is, by and large, higher than that in the surface layer. In the bottom, Arthropoda is the first largest group, accounting for more than 20% while Arthropoda and Bacillariophyta are dominant groups in surface waters accounting for more than 40%. It is significant of the variance in alpha-diversity between sampling sites, and the difference of alpha-diversity between bottom sites is greater than that of surface sites. The result suggests that the environmental factors that have significant influence on alpha-diversity are total alkalinity and offshore distance for surface sites, and water depth and turbidity for bottom sites. Likewise, the plankton communities obey the typical distance-decay pattern. Analysis about community assembly mechanisms reveals that, overall, dispersal limitation is the major pattern of community formation, which accounts for more than 83% of the community formation processes, suggesting that stochastic processes are the crucial assembly mechanism of the eukaryotic plankton community in the study area.

Cytokines play vital roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. IL17B is protective in the development of colitis. However, how IL17B regulates intestinal inflammation and what cells are regulated by IL17B is still unknown. Here, we aimed to illustrate the IL17B dependent cellular and molecular changes in colon tissue in a mouse colitis model. The results showed that IL17B expression in colon tissues was elevated in inflamed tissues than non-inflamed tissues of IBD patients. Wild type (WT) and Il17b deficient (Il17b-/-) mice were given 2.5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) water, and in some case, Il17b-/- mice were treated with recombinant mouse IL17B. IL17B deficiency resulted in severe DSS-induced colitis with exaggerated weight loss, shorter colon length, and elevated proinflammatory cytokines in colon. Reconstitution of Il17b-/- mice with recombinant IL17B alleviated the severity of DSS-induced colitis. Single cell transcriptional analyses of CD45+ immune cells in colonic lamina propria revealed that loss of IL17B resulted in an increased neutrophil infiltration and enhanced inflammatory cytokines in intestinal macrophages in colitis, which were confirmed by real-time PCR and flow cytometry. IL17B treatment also inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in bone marrow-derived macrophages and mice. IL17B inhibits colitis by regulating colonic myeloid cell response. It might represent a novel potential therapeutic approach to treat the colitis.

ObjectivesThis study aims to evaluate the diagnostic value of real-time four-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (RT4D-TEE) for implant-related thrombus (IRT).MethodsWe collected 1,125 patients with atrial fibrillation from May 2019 to February 2022 in our hospital. All patients accepted transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) examination to exclude any thrombi before the LAAC procedure.ResultsThere were 760 patients with LAAC, 66 patients with CIED, and 299 patients without any implantations. A total of 40 patients with an established diagnosis of IRT were further analyzed. The accurate detection rate of IRT by RT4D-TEE was 4.8% (40/826), which was higher than 3.8% (31/826) by 2D-TEE (P = 0.004). No IRT was found on TEE in the rest of the 786 patients. These 40 patients were divided into LAAC (n = 23) and CIED (n = 17) groups according to the results of RT4D-TEE. In the LAAC group, IRT distributed on different parts of the LAA occluder surface, 91.3% (21/23) with clumps of thrombi, and 8.7% (2/23) with a thin layer of thrombi covering the surface of the occluder. In the CIED group, thrombi were seen attached to the leads in the right atrium and right ventricle. The thrombi were beaded in 17.6% (3/17), corded in 17.6% (3/17), and clotted in the remaining 64.7% (11/17) of cases. After adjusting the anticoagulant dosage and following up for 6 months, 20% (8/40) of cases were successfully resolved, 67.5% (27/40) became smaller, and 12.5% (5/40) showed no changes.ConclusionThe accurate detection rate of IRT by RT4D-TEE was significantly higher than that by 2D-TEE. 2D-TEE has limitations, but RT4D-TEE can be used as an effective complementary method. Imaging and some clinical features differ significantly between IRT on occluder and IRT on CIED lead.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the clinical value of ultrasonography combined with tumor markers in the diagnosis and prediction of recurrence of borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) and analyze the value of the combination of two different auxiliary examinations in the diagnosis and prediction of recurrence of BOTs.MethodsHere, 221 patients with BOTs confirmed by postoperative pathology were enrolled. Their clinical data, including the ultrasonography features, tumor markers, and clinicopathological data, were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsThe statistical data of the 221 cases with BOTs were as follows: 94 (42.5%) with left-sided lesions, 102 (46.2%) with right-sided lesions, and 25 (11.3%) with bilateral lesions. Moreover, 93 cases (42.1%) had a borderline serous tumor, 110 (49.8%) had a borderline mucinous tumor, 12 (5.4%) had a borderline serous mucinous tumor, 2 (0.9%) had a borderline endometrioid tumor, 1 (0.5%) had a borderline Brenner tumor, and 2 (0.9%) had a clear cell BOT. There were 104 cases (47.1%) with a tumor diameter of ≤10 cm and 117 cases (52.9%) with a tumor diameter of >10 cm as suggested by ultrasonography. There were 89 cases (40.3%) with septation, 44 (19.9%) with papilla, and 97 (43.9%) with blood flow as demonstrated by ultrasonography. Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA 125) was elevated in 132 cases (59.7%), and CA 19-9 was elevated in 52 cases (23.5%).ConclusionIn general, BOTs are difficult to diagnose preoperatively and have a certain recurrence rate. Ultrasonography combined with CA 125 and CA 19-9 is significant for the preoperative diagnosis and selection of surgical modality for BOTs and could be used as a guideline to achieve good preoperative preparation and avoid secondary surgery.

This study aims to understand the impact of farmers’ risk attitude on livelihood assets and their livelihood adaptation strategies to cope with climatic changes. An interview-based survey with farmers is conducted in China and Pakistan, using probit regression models to analyze the data. The results confirm that Pakistani growers’ natural and policy risks, whereas technology and information risks in China, are the main livelihood risks to farm production. Farmers’ natural, physical, social, and human assets in China and Pakistan’s financial, physical, and social assets can protect their livelihoods from farm risks. Pakistan’s physical, social, and economic assets and China’s physical, human, and social assets show contradictory effects. Although farmers in China adopted agrotechnical support, off-farm production, crop variety adjustment, and agricultural engineering, Pakistan’s growers adopted agricultural finance, fertilizer/water management, and adjustment of crop varieties to deal with risks. In addition, social, natural, human, and physical assets revealed significant and positive impacts on Pakistani growers; physical and financial assets positively affect Chinese farmers’ attitudes. Despite Chinese growers’ human, social, and natural assets, Pakistani farmers’ financial and natural assets show comparatively weak effects to adapt and deal with climatic risks. Furthermore, this study recommends agricultural policy measures to cope with climate awareness and adaptive attitudes, and potential practices can be introduced in both studied areas.

Abstract Nanomaterials have been widely used in multi‐aspect because of their particular physicochemical properties. However, traditional physical and chemical synthetic methods of nanomaterials are costly, they are easy to produce toxic by‐products which are harmful to environment and human health. In recent years, the synthesis of nanomaterials via biological mediated method has shown great potential with the advantage of environmentally friendly, cost‐effective and high‐efficiency. Plants, microorganisms, and biological extracts are all excellent candidates for biosynthesis. Furthermore, these kinds of bio‐genic materials have been applied in many fields such as environment remediation, catalytic reaction, anti‐microbsis and anti‐tumor. Thus, in order to grasp the research progress and development trend of nanomaterials synthesized by bio‐mediated methods, a comprehensive overview is presented based on Web of Science database and bibliometric analysis. The results proved that the number of publications increased year by year from 2010 to 2020, India and China were the main two contributors. Some research institutions and researchers have formed their stable cooperative groups. Keywords analysis showed that the co‐occurrence network could be divided into four clusters, “green synthesis,” “AgNPs,” “AuNPs,” “nanoparticles,” and “leaf extract” were the most popular words. Moreover, publishing journals, highly cited articles and major disciplines were also studied. The review will provide valuable references for future research.

Abnormal lipid metabolism is closely related to the malignant biological behavior of tumor cells. Such abnormal lipid metabolism provides energy for rapid proliferation, and certain genes related to lipid metabolism encode important components of tumor signaling pathways. In this study, we analyzed pancreatic cancer datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas and searched for prognostic genes related to lipid metabolism in the Molecular Signature Database. A risk score model was built and verified using the GSE57495 dataset and International Cancer Genome Consortium dataset. Four molecular subtypes and 4249 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The DEGs obtained by Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Construction analysis were intersected with 4249 DEGs to obtain a total of 1340 DEGs. The final prognosis model included CA8, CEP55, GNB3 and SGSM2, and these had a significant effect on overall survival. The area under the curve at 1, 3 and 5 years was 0.72, 0.79 and 0.87, respectively. These same results were obtained using the validation cohort. Survival analysis data showed that the model could stratify the prognosis of patients with different clinical characteristics, and the model has clinical independence. Functional analysis indicated that the model is associated with multiple cancer‐related pathways. Compared with published models, our model has a higher C‐index and greater risk value. In summary, this four‐gene signature is an independent risk factor for pancreatic cancer survival and may be an effective prognostic indicator.

Abstract Background and Aims The role of dietary fat consumption in the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. We investigated the associations of total fat and fatty acids with risk of HCC among US adults in a hospital‐based case–control study. Methods We analyzed data from 641 cases and 1034 controls recruited at MD Anderson Cancer Center during 2001–2018. Cases were new patients with a pathologically or radiologically confirmed diagnosis of HCC; controls were cancer‐free spouses of patients with cancers other than gastrointestinal, lung, liver, or head and neck. Cases and controls were frequency‐matched by age and sex. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for major HCC risk factors, including hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection. Results Monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) intake was inversely associated with HCC risk (highest vs. lowest tertile: OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.33–0.72). Total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake was directly associated with HCC risk (highest vs. lowest tertile: OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.23–2.70). Omega‐6 PUFA was directly associated with HCC risk (highest vs. lowest tertile: OR 2.29; 95% CI, 1.52–3.44). Long‐chain omega‐3 PUFA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) intake was also inversely associated with HCC risk (highest vs. lowest tertile: OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.33–0.70). No association was observed for saturated fat and HCC risk. Conclusion Our findings support a direct association of omega‐6 PUFA intake with HCC and an inverse association of MUFA and long‐chain omega‐3 PUFA intake with HCC.

Abstract The rapid spreading of SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.1.7 originated from the United Kingdom and B.1.351 from South Africa has contributed to the second wave of COVID-19 cases in the respective countries and also around the world. In this study, we employed advanced biochemical and virological methodologies to evaluate the impact of Spike mutations of these strains on the degree of protection afforded by humoral immune responses following natural infection of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain during the early stages of the outbreak. We found that antibody-mediated neutralization activity was partially reduced for B.1.1.7 variant and significantly attenuated for the B.1.351 strain. We also found that mutations outside the receptor-binding domain (RBD) can strongly influence antibody binding and neutralization, cautioning the use of solely RBD mutations in evaluating vaccine efficacy. These findings highlight an urgent need to develop new SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that are not based exclusively on the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 Spike gene sequence.

The grinding and polishing of curved stone involve many steps, limiting the process's efficiency. This study proposes a one-step grinding and polishing process to simplify the process and achieve efficient machining. It is achieved by developing the grinding and polishing tools and realizing the entire process on the robotic processing platform, and the tool design is based on the surface roughness of the machined workpiece. The grinding tool is made by selecting the appropriate glue to achieve the connection from carving to polishing. Similarly, the polishing tool is made by selecting the appropriate gel compound system to achieve a high glossiness curved stone surface. The results show that the grinding tool made of epoxy resin YT-CC301 can reduce the curved stone's roughness from 16.281 µm to below 400 nm, and the connection from carving to polishing can be realized by one step. The polishing tool made of sodium alginate and carboxylated chitosan gel compound system or sodium alginate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose gel compound system can polish the surface of the ground curved stone to the roughness of less than 15 nm, and the surface glossiness can reach more than 120. Therefore, a single step of grinding and polishing of curved stone is achieved.

IntroductionCOVID-19 has a wide disease spectrum ranging from asymptomatic to severe. While humoral immune responses are critical in preventing infection, the immune mechanisms leading to severe disease, and the identification of biomarkers of disease progression and/or resolution of the infection remains to be determined.MethodsPlasma samples were obtained from infections during the initial wave of ancestral wildtype SARS-CoV-2 and from vaccine breakthrough infections during the wave of Delta variant, up to six months post infection. The spike-specific antibody profiles were compared across different severity groups and timepoints.ResultsWe found an association between spike-specific IgM, IgA and IgG and disease severity in unvaccinated infected individuals. In addition to strong IgG1 and IgG3 response, patients with severe disease develop a robust IgG2 and IgG4 response. A comparison of the ratio of IgG1 and IgG3 to IgG2 and IgG4 showed that disease progression is associated with a smaller ratio in both the initial wave of WT and the vaccine breakthrough Delta infections. Time-course analysis revealed that smaller (IgG1 and IgG3)/(IgG2 and IgG4) ratio is associated with disease progression, while the reverse associates with clinical recovery.DiscussionWhile each IgG subclass is associated with disease severity, the balance within the four IgG subclasses may affect disease outcome. Acute disease progression or infection resolution is associated with a specific immunological phenotype that is conserved in both the initial wave of WT and the vaccine breakthrough Delta infections.

ObjectiveThe objective of the present study was to describe and analyze the clinical characteristics of nocardiosis.Materials and methodsWe described and analyzed the clinical characteristics of nocardiosis cases from two centers over the past 5 years from the following aspects: age and sex, Nocardia species, sites of Nocardia infection, test specimens, detection methods, concurrent pathogens, symptoms, imaging features, co-conditions, drug susceptibility tests, antibiotic therapy/duration, outcomes, and follow-up.ResultsThe median age of the 19 cases was 64 years, with an interquartile range (IQR) of 56–68 years. Eight cases (42.1%) were immunocompromised [those who had been on corticosteroid use (62.5%), those who had used immunosuppressants (50.0%), or those who had suffered from chronic nephrosis (37.5%) or diabetes mellitus (DM) (25.0%)]. The plethora of comorbidities of these cases included diabetes (10.5%), chronic kidney disease (CDK) (15.8%), chronic lung disease (36.8%), and rheumatic diseases (10.5%). Cough and expectoration (73.7%) was the most common symptom of nocardiosis. The respiratory tract (89.5%) was the most common site of the clinical disease. Nearly half (9 cases, 47.3%) of these patients had concurrent infections. The most common Nocardia isolation site was the respiratory tract (73.7%). All patients were given antibiotic therapies, out of whom as many as 63.6% of patients were treated with two concurrent antimicrobial agents, 15.8% of patients were treated under monotherapy and 21.1% of patients were treated with three or more concurrent antimicrobial agents.ConclusionsAn uncommon life-threatening infection, nocardiosis, affects those patients with structural lung disease or immunosuppression. Although nocardiosis is capable of progressing into a serious and metastatic disease, early recognition and prompt treatment usually result in successful outcomes benefitting the patient.

The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as the more transmissible Delta and Omicron variants, has raised concerns on efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Here, we examined the waning of antibody responses against different variants following primary and booster vaccination. We found that antibody responses against variants were low following primary vaccination. The antibody response against Omicron was almost non-existent. Efficient boosting of antibody response against all variants, including Omicron, was observed following a third dose. The antibody response against the variants tested was significantly higher at one month following booster vaccination, compared with two months following primary vaccination, for all individuals, including the low antibody responders identified at two months following primary vaccination. The antibody response, for all variants tested, was significantly higher at four months post booster than at five months post primary vaccination, and the proportion of low responders remained low (6-11%). However, there was significant waning of antibody response in more than 95% of individuals at four months, compared to one month following booster. We also observed a robust memory B cell response following booster, which remained higher at four months post booster than prior to booster. However, the memory B cell responses were on the decline for 50% of individuals at four months following booster. Similarly, while the T cell response is sustained, at cohort level, at four months post booster, a substantial proportion of individuals (18.8 – 53.8%) exhibited T cell response at four months post booster that has waned to levels below their corresponding levels before booster. The findings show an efficient induction of immune response against SARS-CoV-2 variants following booster vaccination. However, the induced immunity by the third BNT162b2 vaccine dose was transient. The findings suggest that elderly individuals may require a fourth dose to provide protection against SARS-CoV-2.

BackgroundType 2 diabetes (T2D) in Chinese Americans is a rising public health concern for the US health care system. The majority of Chinese Americans with T2D are foreign-born older immigrants and report limited English proficiency and health literacy. Multiple social determinants of health limit access to evidence-based diabetes interventions for underserved Chinese immigrants. A social media–based diabetes intervention may be feasible to reach this community. ObjectiveThe purpose of the Chinese American Research and Education (CARE) study was to examine the potential efficacy of a social media–based intervention on glycemic control in Chinese Americans with T2D. Additionally, the study aimed to explore the potential effects of the intervention on psychosocial and behavioral factors involved in successful T2D management. In this report, we describe the design and protocol of the CARE trial. MethodsCARE was a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT; n=60) of a 3-month intervention. Participants were randomized to one of two arms (n=30 each): wait-list control or CARE intervention. Each week, CARE intervention participants received two culturally and linguistically tailored diabetes self-management videos for a total of 12 weeks. Video links were delivered to participants via WeChat, a free and popular social media app among Chinese immigrants. In addition, CARE intervention participants received biweekly phone calls from the study’s community health workers to set goals related to T2D self-management and work on addressing goal-achievement barriers. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), self-efficacy, diabetes self-management behaviors, dietary intake, and physical activity were measured at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Piecewise linear mixed-effects modeling will be performed to examine intergroup differences in HbA1c and psychosocial and behavioral outcomes. ResultsThis pilot RCT study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in March 2021. The first participant was enrolled in March 2021, and the recruitment goal (n=60) was met in March 2022. All data collection is expected to conclude by November 2022, with data analysis and study results ready for reporting by December 2023. Findings from this pilot RCT will further guide the team in planning a future large-scale study. ConclusionsThis study will serve as an important first step in exploring scalable interventions to increase access to evidence-based diabetes interventions among underserved, low-income, immigrant populations. This has significant implications for chronic care in other high-risk immigrant groups, such as low-income Hispanic immigrants, who also bear a high T2D burden, face similar barriers to accessing diabetes programs, and report frequent social media use (eg, WhatsApp). Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03557697; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03557697 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/42554

Organic–inorganic composite scintillators, demonstrating advantages of easy large-area preparation and a high detection efficiency, have shown enormous potential application prospects in radiation detection and imaging. In this study, bulk polystyrene (PS) composite scintillators were successfully prepared by embedding inorganic BaF2 particles with a loading amount of up to 80 wt% during the polymerization process of the plastic scintillator. The inorganic BaF2 particles were uniformly dispersed in the organic matrix. With the increase of the loading amounts of BaF2 particles, the X-ray-excited luminescence intensity of the PS-BaF2 composite scintillators was about eight times higher than that of the commercial pure plastic scintillator. The scintillation counts under the gamma ray (59.5 KeV) irradiation also showed that the detection efficiency was obviously enhanced by BaF2 particle loading. More importantly, their scintillation pulse retains the decay kinetics of the organic matrix without loading the slow-decay component of BaF2. This work provides a promising solution for the application of the PS-BaF2 composite scintillator in high-efficiency radiation detection and large-area imaging.

The world’s largest macroalgae bloom (also known as green tide) has been reported since the 29th Olympic Games in 2008, which is verified as the fast reproduction of floating green macroalgae (Ulva prolifera). It is helpful to assess the biomass of macroalgae for the government of marine environment protection. In this study, the synchronization cruise experiment was firstly introduced, which aimed to investigate the biomass evaluation of Ulva prolifera in the Yellow Sea of China. The Floating Algae Index by Polarimetric SAR image (FAIPS) was then proposed. Finally, the floating algae biomass evaluation model was demonstrated and verified, which showed an exponential relationship between FAIPS and wet biomass per area (kg/m2) of macroalgae. The model proposed in this paper can be used in the biomass assessment of floating algae in the presence of polarimetric SAR images, regardless of daylight and cloud coverage over the sea surface.

Dissolution of gas into flowing water inside a porous medium is important in various hydrogeology processes, such as geological carbon sequestration (GCS). The dissolution rate of CO2 controls the amount of CO2 injection and the safety of the GCS process. In this report, we investigated the dissolution behavior of four gas species, i.e., CO2, O2, N2, and Ar, into flowing water inside a porous medium by using micro-tomography. The trapped gas characteristics can be observed, and thus interfacial area and mass transfer coefficient can be calculated. Compared with the other gases, we found that the dissolution behavior of CO2 gas is unique, and the mass transfer coefficient is one order of magnitude lower than other gases. We believe that the high dissolution ratio of CO2 gas could have generated a layer of the high solute region around the trapped CO2 gas, disrupting the mass transfer process.

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a common comorbidity associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but few studies have been conducted to identify CVD risk in COPD patients. This study was to develop a predictive model of CVD in COPD patients based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Methods A total of 3,226 COPD patients were retrieved from NHANES 2007–2012, dividing into the training (n = 2351) and testing (n = 895) sets. The prediction models were conducted using the multivariable logistic regression and random forest analyses, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curves (AUC) and internal validation were used to assess the predictive performance of models. Results The logistic regression model for predicting the risk of CVD was developed regarding age, gender, body mass index (BMI), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), family history of heart disease, and stayed overnight in the hospital due to illness last year, which the AUC of the internal validation was 0.741. According to the random forest analysis, the important variables-associated with CVD risk were screened including smoking (NNAL and cotinine), HbA1c, HDL, age, gender, diastolic blood pressure, poverty income ratio, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and sedentary activity per day. The AUC of the internal validation was 0.984, indicating the random forest model for predicting the CVD risk in COPD cases was superior to the logistic regression model. Conclusion The random forest model performed better predictive effectiveness for the cardiovascular risk among COPD patients, which may be useful for clinicians to guide the clinical practice.

The security of industrial control systems is increasingly prominent, and the performance of intrusion detection classifiers depends more on hyper-parameters. This paper proposes an improved multiple population genetic algorithm (IMPGA) used to intelligently search hyper-parameters of classifiers, and the simulated annealing algorithm (SAA) is used to control the evolution rate among various populations. In addition, the hash fitness value is used to reduce resource consumption and the directional evolution operator is introduced to optimize the population. This method can effectively avoid the algorithm falling into local optimal solution and save the optimal solution in the process of evolution. Thus, the optimal or approximate optimal combinations of hyper-parameters of classifiers are obtained and the accuracy of the classifiers is finally improved. In this paper, experiments are conducted on the following datasets: the natural gas pipeline experimental dataset of Mississippi State University from 2014 (a gas dataset), the intrusion detection systems dataset of Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity from 2017 (CICIDS2017 dataset) and an oil depot dataset. The experimental results of those three datasets show that the area under curve (AUC) of the back propagation neural network (BPNN) is more than 98%, of the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) is more than 99%, and of the support vector machines (SVM) is more than 98%. This selection method can effectively detect the intrusion attacks.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a pattern of interstitial lung disease, is often clinically unpredictable in its progression. This paper presents hyperpolarized Xenon-129 chemical shift imaging as a noninvasive, nonradioactive method of probing lung physiology as well as anatomy to monitor subtle changes in subjects with IPF. Twenty subjects, nine healthy and eleven IPF, underwent HP Xe-129 ventilation MRI and 3D-SBCSI. Spirometry was performed on all subjects before imaging, and DLCO and hematocrit were measured in IPF subjects after imaging. Images were post-processed in MATLAB and segmented using ANTs. IPF subjects exhibited, on average, higher Tissue/Gas ratios and lower RBC/Gas ratios compared with healthy subjects, and quantitative maps were more heterogeneous in IPF subjects. The higher ratios are likely due to fibrosis and thickening of the pulmonary interstitium. T2* relaxation was longer in IPF subjects and corresponded with hematocrit scores, although the mechanism is not well understood. A lower chemical shift in the red blood cell spectroscopic peak correlated well with a higher Tissue/RBC ratio and may be explained by reduced blood oxygenation. Tissue/RBC also correlated well, spatially, with areas of fibrosis in HRCT images. These results may help us understand the underlying mechanism behind gas exchange impairment and disease progression.

In this study, Al–CuO nanocomposites were fabricated by sol-gel method. As a contrast, the thermite was prepared by physical mixing at the equivalence ratio of 0.5, 1, 2, respectively. The intermediates and samples as prepared were characterized by SEM and XRD. The exothermic properties of the two samples prepared at different equivalence ratios were tested and the reaction products were characterized by XRD. The SEM results show that the sample prepared by the sol-gel method demonstrates a micron-sized agglomerated sphere formed by a mutual wrapping of Al NPs and CuO NPs, and the particles are evenly distributed in the agglomerate. In addition, when the content of Al powder is seriously insufficient, the heat release of the sample prepared by physical mixing is 1.6 times that of by sol-gel method. With the increase of Al powder content, the exothermic properties of Al/CuO NPs prepared by sol-gel method began to increase significantly compared with physical mixing and the difference is 1.5 times when the equivalence ratio increases to 2. It can be concluded that the reason for this result may be attributed to the different mass transfer modes of components due to the different morphologies of samples.

Objectives Using data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), we estimated prevalence of individual substance use disorders (SUDs) and psychiatric comorbidities among pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) in the New York State from 2009 to 2014. Methods In this cross-sectional study, pregnancy outcome and gestational age at delivery were estimated, and OUD diagnosis during pregnancy or at delivery discharge was identified. Prevalence of SUDs and psychiatric comorbidities were then calculated. Results Among 1,463,302 pregnant women, 8324 (0.57%) were diagnosed with OUD during pregnancy or at delivery. The most frequent SUDs or psychiatric comorbidities among pregnant women with OUD were non-opioid SUD (78.2%), followed by tobacco use disorder (74.9%), generalized anxiety disorder (38.0%), major depressive disorder (36.9%), cannabis use disorder (28.3%) and cocaine use disorder (27.4%). Conclusions Most pregnant women with OUD were diagnosed with at least one non-opioid SUD and tobacco use disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder were also common, suggesting that mental health screenings should be prioritized for pregnant women with OUD.

Objectives: To assess whether the extension of the flushing interval will increase risks of complications associated with totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP) in the off-treatment period. Methods: A retrospective single-center observational study was performed. Patients with a TIVAP in the off-treatment period that underwent regular flushing in our clinic were included. Data concerning patients and their TIVAPs were recorded. Patient baseline characteristics and TIVAP-related complications were analyzed. Continuous variables were analyzed by ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis H test. To compare the occurrence of TIVAP-related complications, the chi-square test was used; if needed, Fisher’s exact test was used. Results: Totally 607 patients were reviewed, and 563 patients were finally included. Thirteen complications were recorded, including 11 cases of catheter occlusion (1.95%), one case of port cannula rotation (0.18%), and one case of catheter tip malposition (0.18%). No device-related infection or venous thrombosis was recorded. Among these patients, the average flushing interval was 35.27 ± 13.09 days. Patients were divided into three groups according to the flushing interval: every 28 days or less (Group 1, n = 133); every 29–44 days (Group 2, n = 350); and every 45 days or more (Group 3, n = 80). No significant difference in catheter-related complications was found among the three groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: In the TIVAP off-treatment period, patients without any history of TIVAP-related complications during approximately one year can attempt to prolong the flushing interval to more than 4 weeks; we further suggest that 5–6 weeks may be an appropriate option for these patients.

Abstract It has been recently reported that CD38 expressed on tumor cells of multiple murine and human origins could be upregulated in response to PD-L1 antibody therapy, which led to dysfunction of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T immune cells due to increasing the production of adenosine. However, the role of tumor expressed-CD38 on neoplastic formation and progression remains elusive. In the present study, we aimed to delineate the molecular and biochemical function of the tumor-associated CD38 in lung adenocarcinoma progression. Our clinical data showed that the upregulation of tumor-originated CD38 was correlated with poor survival of lung cancer patients. Using multiple in vitro assays we found that the enzymatic activity of tumor expressed-CD38 facilitated lung cancer cell migration, proliferation, colony formation, and tumor development. Consistently, our in vivo results showed that inhibition of the enzymatic activity or antagonizing the enzymatic product of CD38 resulted in the similar inhibition of tumor proliferation and metastasis as CD38 gene knock-out or mutation. At biochemical level, we further identified that cADPR, the mainly hydrolytic product of CD38, was responsible for inducing the opening of TRPM2 iron channel leading to the influx of intracellular Ca2+ and then led to increasing levels of NRF2 while decreasing expression of KEAP1 in lung cancer cells. These findings suggested that malignant lung cancer cells were capable of using cADPR catalyzed by CD38 to facilitate tumor progression, and blocking the enzymatic activity of CD38 could be represented as an important strategy for preventing tumor progression.

Anthropogenic activities have dramatically increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) enrichments in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it is still unclear on how bacterial and fungal communities would respond to the simultaneously increased N and P enrichment. In this study, we used a field experiment to simulate N and P input, and examined the effects of N and P additions on the abundance, alpha-diversity, and community composition of soil bacteria and fungi in a riparian forest. Six nutrient-addition treatments, including low N (30 kg N ha–1 year–1), high N (150 kg N ha –1 year–1), low P (30 kg P2O5 ha–1 year–1), high P (150 kg P2O5 ha –1 year–1), low N+P, high N+P, and a control (CK) treatment were set up. We found that the N and P additions significantly affected bacterial abundance, community composition, but not the alpha diversity. Specifically, 16S, nirK, and nirS gene copy numbers were significantly reduced after N and P additions, which were correlated with decreases in soil pH and NO-3-N, respectively; Co-additions of N and P showed significantly antagonistic interactions on bacterial gene copies; Nutrient additions significantly increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria while reduced the relative abundance of Chloroflexi. Mantel’s test showed that the alteration in bacterial composition was associated with the changes in soil pH and NO-3-N. The nutrient additions did not show significant effects on fungal gene copy numbers, alpha diversity, and community composition, which could be due to non-significant alterations in soil C/N and total P concentration. In conclusion, our results suggest that soil bacteria are more sensitive than fungi in response to N and P enrichment; the alterations in soil pH and NO-3-N explain the effects of N and P enrichment on bacterial communities, respectively; and the co-addition of N and P reduces the negative effects of these two nutrients addition in alone. These findings improve our understanding of microbial response to N and P addition, especially in the context of simultaneous enrichment of anthropogenic nutrient inputs.

Introduction There is an enormous imbalance between the rapid development of day surgery and the current conventional medical services. Hence, an effective day surgery management mode should be developed that can be used to constantly follow up on patients both preoperatively and postoperatively. In this study, WeChat was chosen as the platform. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a new day surgery management mode.Methods and analysis This randomised controlled study investigated the efficacy of a new day surgery management mode based on WeChat. The target number of participants was 1000 per group. The application (app) will send personalised information based on the medical history of the patient and the type of surgery at different time points preoperatively and postoperatively. The healthcare worker can follow up the patient and acquire clinical data by simply signing into the app. The patient and the healthcare worker can also engage in video or voice chats using the app when necessary. Multiple departments, including anaesthesiology, internal medicine, surgery, nursing and psychology, will participate in this new mode.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from the West China Hospital of Sichuan University Biomedical Research Ethics Committee. Results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.Trial registration number ChiCTR2100050793.

Breast cancer (BC) is now the most frequent and lethal cancer among women. Cuproptosis is a newly identified programmed cell death process that has been connected to tumor therapeutic sensitivity, patient outcomes, and the genesis of cancer. Cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) are involved in breast cancer, although their roles and potential mechanisms are still unclear. First, we examined the effect of gene mutations and copy number changes on overall survival in 1168 breast cancer samples. Breast cancer patients were split into two molecular categories as determined by the variation in CRG based on clinicopathological traits, overall survival, and cell-infiltrating traits in tumor microenvironments. In addition, we created and validated a CRG score to calculate breast cancer patients' OS. Finally, we created a comprehensive nomogram for the clinical use of the CRG score. Patients whose CRG scores were low showed increased odds of developing OS, a larger mutation load, and immunological activation than those with high CRG scores. The CRG score, the cancer stem cell index, and the responsiveness to chemotherapy or targeted therapies were also shown to be statistically significantly correlated. Our thorough examination of CRGs in breast cancer patients demonstrated that they may be useful predictors of prognosis, clinical characteristics, and tumor microenvironment. These findings provide fresh insight into CRGs in breast cancer and might inspire brand-new approaches to both diagnosing and treating patients there.

ObjectiveConvolutional Neural Network(CNN) is increasingly being applied in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. However, the impact of proportion of internal data in the training set on test results has not been sufficiently studied. Here, we constructed an artificial intelligence (AI) system called EGC-YOLOV4 using the YOLO-v4 algorithm to explore the optimal ratio of training set with the power to diagnose early gastric cancer.DesignA total of 22,0918 gastroscopic images from Yixing People’s Hospital were collected. 7 training set models were established to identify 4 test sets. Respective sensitivity, specificity, Youden index, accuracy, and corresponding thresholds were tested, and ROC curves were plotted.Results1. The EGC-YOLOV4 system completes all tests at an average reading speed of about 15 ms/sheet; 2. The AUC values in training set 1 model were 0.8325, 0.8307, 0.8706, and 0.8279, in training set 2 model were 0.8674, 0.8635, 0.9056, and 0.9249, in training set 3 model were 0.8544, 0.8881, 0.9072, and 0.9237, in training set 4 model were 0.8271, 0.9020, 0.9102, and 0.9316, in training set 5 model were 0.8249, 0.8484, 0.8796, and 0.8931, in training set 6 model were 0.8235, 0.8539, 0.9002, and 0.9051, in training set 7 model were 0.7581, 0.8082, 0.8803, and 0.8763.ConclusionEGC-YOLOV4 can quickly and accurately identify the early gastric cancer lesions in gastroscopic images, and has good generalization.The proportion of positive and negative samples in the training set will affect the overall diagnostic performance of AI.In this study, the optimal ratio of positive samples to negative samples in the training set is 1:1~ 1:2.

This study examines the influences of grandchild care and medical insurance on childhood obesity. Nationally representative longitudinal data—from the China Family Panel Studies 2010–2020—of 26,902 school-age children and adolescents aged 6–16 years and China's new reference standard (“WS/T586-2018”) are used to identify a child's obesity status. Using binary mixed-effects logistic regression models and the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition method, this study explores the roots of obesity inequalities and finds that at least 15% of Chinese children aged 6–16 were obese in the 2010s. The logistic regression analysis results indicate that grandchild care, public medical insurance, and commercial medical insurance are key risk factors of child obesity. However, the influences are heterogeneous in different groups: Grandchild care and public medical insurance increase urban–rural obesity inequalities because of a distribution effect, and grandchild care may also exacerbate children obesity inequalities between left-behind and non-left-behind children owing to the event shock of parental absence. Inequalities in socioeconomic status (SES) factors such as income, education, and region also cause obesity inequalities. These results indicate that child obesity and its inequalities are rooted in multidimensional environmental inequalities, including medical protection policies and its benefit incidence; intergenerational behavior and family SES factors; and urban–rural and left-behind risk shocks. This study provides new evidence for the development of population-based interventions and equitable medical insurance policies to prevent the deterioration of child obesity among Chinese school-age children and adolescents.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common, malignant, and deadly primary brain tumor in adults. Brain-expressed X-link (BEX) protein family is involved in tumorigenesis. Here, we have explored the biological function and the prognostic value of the BEX family in GBM. Differentially expressed BEX genes between GBM and normal tissue were screened by using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses identified the prognosis‐related genes BEX1, BEX2, and BEX4, which were involved in the regulation of immune response. The results of correlation analysis and protein–protein interaction network (PPI network) showed that there was a significant correlation between the BEX family and TCEAL family in GBM. Furthermore, the expression of transcription elongation factor A (SII)-like (TCEAL) family is generally decreased in GBM and related to poor prognosis. With the use of the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression, a prognostic model including the BEX family and TCEAL family was built to accurately predict the likelihood of overall survival (OS) in GBM patients. Therefore, we demonstrated that the BEX family and TCEAL family possessed great potential as therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers in GBM. Further investigations in large‐scale, multicenter, and prospective clinical cohorts are needed to confirm the prognostic model developed in our study.

The storage stability of energetic materials is important for its application. Here, the storage stability of Al/CuO nanothermite, which was prepared by electrospray method and stored with different storage time, was systematically researched. The activation energy of Al/CuO nanothermite was calculated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The ignition temperature and the curve pressure history of Al/CuO nanothermite was measured using ignition temperature measuring device and constant-volume pressurization tests, respectively. Further, the thermites were characterized by X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the morphology of the thermites did not change significantly. The activation energy was decreased from 254.1 kJ/mol to 181.8 kJ/mol after storage for 13 months. When stored for 0, 7 and 13 months, the peak pressures of Al/CuO nanothermite were 685.8 kPa, 626.3 kPa and 625.5 kPa, respectively. In addition to the ignition temperature, it was 775 °C, 739 °C and 754 °C, respectively. This result indicated that the ignition and combustion properties of Al/CuO nanothermite are obviously reduced when stored for a long time, at room temperature.

Abstract Aims/Introduction To define the target value for the percentage coefficient of variation for glucose (%CV) as a measure of glycemic variability (GV) in Chinese diabetes patients. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 3,007 diabetes patients who underwent continuous glucose monitoring for 3 days. Type 2 diabetes was divided into groups according to the received treatment: group 1, non‐insulinotropic agent (n = 138); group 2, insulinotropic agent (n = 761); group 3, basal insulin therapy (n = 100); group 4, premixed insulin (n = 784); and group 5, intensive insulin therapy (n = 612). Type 1 diabetes patients were included as group 6 (n = 612). %CV and percentage of time per day within, below (3.9mmol/L; TBR3.9) and above (10.0 mmol/L) the target glucose range (3.9–10.0 mmol/L) were computed. TBR3.9 ≥4% was defined as excessive hypoglycemia. Results Type 2 diabetes with a premixed or intensive insulin regimen had an increased %CV compared with those receiving oral therapy or basal insulin. The upper limit of %CV in group 1 was 33%, which was adopted as the threshold to define excessive GV. For each treatment group, the percentage of people with TBR3.9 ≥4% was significantly greater in the subgroup with %CV >33% than ≤33% (P 70% and time per day above 10.0 mmol/L

Abstract The immune responses and mechanisms limiting symptom progression in asymptomatic cases of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection remain unclear. We comprehensively characterized transcriptomic profiles, cytokine responses, neutralization capacity of antibodies, and cellular immune phenotypes of asymptomatic patients with acute SARS‐CoV‐2 infection to identify potential protective mechanisms. Compared to symptomatic patients, asymptomatic patients had higher counts of mature neutrophils and lower proportion of CD169+ expressing monocytes in the peripheral blood. Systemic levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines were also lower in asymptomatic patients, accompanied by milder pro‐inflammatory gene signatures. Mechanistically, a more robust systemic Th2 cell signature with a higher level of virus‐specific Th17 cells and a weaker yet sufficient neutralizing antibody profile against SARS‐CoV‐2 was observed in asymptomatic patients. In addition, asymptomatic COVID‐19 patients had higher systemic levels of growth factors that are associated with cellular repair. Together, the data suggest that asymptomatic patients mount less pro‐inflammatory and more protective immune responses against SARS‐CoV‐2 indicative of disease tolerance. Insights from this study highlight key immune pathways that could serve as therapeutic targets to prevent disease progression in COVID‐19.

Due to the highly immunogenic nature of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the tumor microenvironment (TME) is enriched with various innate and adaptive immune subsets. In particular, gamma-delta (γδ) T cells can act as potent attractive mediators of adoptive cell transfer immunotherapy because of their unique properties such as non-reliance on major histocompatibility complex expression, their ability to infiltrate human tumors and recognize tumor antigens, relative insensitivity to immune checkpoint molecules, and broad tumor cytotoxicity. Therefore, it is now critical to better characterize human γδ T-cell subsets and their mechanisms in RCCs, especially the stage of differentiation. In this study, we aimed to identify γδ T cells that might have adaptive responses against RCC progression. We characterized γδ T cells in peripheral blood and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in freshly resected tumor specimens from 20 RCC patients. Furthermore, we performed a gene set enrichment analysis on RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) derived from normal kidneys and RCC tumors to ascertain the association between γδ T-cell infiltration and anti-cancer immune activity. Notably, RCC-infiltrating CD3low Vγ9Vδ1 T cells with a terminally differentiated effector memory phenotype with up-regulated activation/exhaustion molecules were newly detected as predominant TILs, and the cytotoxic activity of these cells against RCC was confirmed in vitro. In an additional analysis of the TCGA RCC dataset, γδ T-cell enrichment scores correlated strongly with those for CTLs, Th1 cells, “exhausted” T cells, and M1 macrophages, suggesting active involvement of γδ T cells in anti-tumor rather than pro-tumor activity, and Vδ1 cells were more abundant than Vδ2 or Vδ3 cells in RCC tumor samples. Thus, we posit that Vγ9Vδ1 T cells may represent an excellent candidate for adoptive immunotherapy in RCC patients with a high risk of relapse after surgery.

Abstract Generation of entangled state is of paramount importance both from quantum theoretical foundation and technology applications. Entanglement swapping provides an efficient method to generate entanglement in quantum communication protocols. However, perfect Bell measurements for qudits, the key to entanglement swapping, have been proven impossible to achieve by using only linear elements and particle detectors. To avoid this bottleneck, we propose a scheme to generate entangled state including two-qubit entangled state, two-qudit entangled state, three-qubit GHZ state and three-qudit GHZ state between several designate parties via the model of quantum walks with multiple coins. Then we conduct experimental realization of Bell state and three-qubit GHZ state between several designate parties on IBM quantum platform and the result has high fidelity by performing quantum tomography. In the end, we give a practical application of our scheme in multiparty quantum secret sharing.

Abstract Background The clinical characteristics of Parkinson’s disease (PD) differ between men and women, and late- and early-onset patients, including motor symptoms and some nonmotor symptoms, such as cognition, anxiety, and depression. Objective To explore the features of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and night-time sleep quality in PD patients of different sexes and age at onset (AAO). Methods Demographic data and clinical characteristics of 586 PD patients were collected. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to investigate the daytime drowsiness and nocturnal sleep. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors of EDS and poor night-time sleep quality. Results Sleep disorders were common in PD patients. EDS was more prominent in men than in women. There was no significant difference in ESS scores between late-onset PD (LOPD) and early-onset PD. LOPD patients had a higher probability of poor night-time sleep quality. Male sex, disease duration, and depression were risk factors for EDS. In all patients of both sexes and all AAO, depression was a risk factor for poor night-time sleep. Conclusion More attention should be paid to sleep disorders of PD patients, especially male LOPD patients. Depression is a common risk factor for EDS and poor sleep quality in PD patients.